This Lipstick Video Is Totally Mesmerizing

You Won't Be Able To Look Away From This Vintage Lipstick-Making Video

Globalization and mass-manufacturing have brought an influx of affordable cosmetics. But they've also left us pretty clueless about how our makeup is actually made. Now, thanks to a beauty enthusiast on Reddit with a penchant for the past, we’re getting a glimpse of how lipstick was formulated in the '50s. And as the vintage video posted by user ShamelessDisaster shows, the process is an oddly satisfying one to watch.

In the posted video, wax and castor oil are placed into a mixer. After pigment is added, the formula is poured into bullet-shaped molds and set. Once removed from the molds, the lip color is put into tubes and shaped over an open flame. Wham-bam, thank you ma’am. Who knew lipstick-making could be so easy? (Okay, fine, we doubt our DIY would turn out so well.)

The video is also a great marker for how far things have come: While the technique itself doesn’t seem to have evolved all that much, handmade batches have certainly been replaced by machine-driven automation. And it’s cool to see human hands (and an open flame) molding face paint.

The video has racked up some major views, and it’s easy to see why. Old-school cosmetic-making techniques (this powder-mixing video is nothing short of mesmerizing) are fascinating. Luckily, there’s more eye candy to be had: As one Reddit user notes, British Pathé posts historical beauty videos in its newsreel archive to YouTube — and the beauty geeks inside of us just can’t get enough.